


The Inner Flames Go Dark

by Lizz_Mayhem



Category: Original Work
Genre: Family, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Multi, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:57:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6678832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizz_Mayhem/pseuds/Lizz_Mayhem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stacy has an ok life. She has good grades, a nice family, a roof over her head, and some friends. But, of course, she was considered a nobody by nearly everyone. That was until the day that they came. Things happened which caused the everything to be flipped. No one saw it coming and no one knew if that day would make their lives better or worse. For Stacy, it would do both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "My Life"

_I prefer to trust actions over words._

_Hurt me with the truth,_ _but never comfort me with a lie._

Don't judge any of my choices without  _understanding my reasons._

_We were all born to be real,_ _not perfect._

_Life is a dream for the wise,_ _a game for a fool,_ _a comedy for the rich,_ _and a tragedy for the poor._

Every test in our life makes us bitter or better and _every problem comes to break us or make us._

_The choice is ours on whether we become the victim or the victor._

_Life is really simple_   _but we insist on making it complicated._

_Don't pray for an easy life, but rather,_ _pray for the strength to endure a difficult one._

_We are not given a good life nor a bad one._

_We are just given life._

_It's up to you to make it good or bad._

 

I sighed as I wrote down the last of my poem and set my pencil down onto my desk. It wasn't the best poem, but it wasn't that bad either. The bell rang and everyone let out sighs of relief and began packing their things up. I put my pencil away and grabbed my bag. I waited until everyone had walked out of the class so that I could turn my poem in.

I nervously walked up to my English teacher, Mr. Sampson. The only thing that I could see behind his large book on Greek Mythology was tufts of his shaggy blond hair, which means he definitely didn't notice everyone leave a large mess on his desk. I slowly set my paper onto his desk, sliding it towards him. I then realized that I could make all of the papers organized so that they would be easier for him to grade. I placed mine on the very bottom of the messy pile and stacked them neatly. As I turned to walk out, I heard Mr. Sampson chuckle. I looked back to see him look up from his book.

"Stacy," he said, smiling. "How very thoughtful of you! Thank you!" I nodded. "Oh, and before you go, may I ask you something?" He set his book down and turned to me. I was taken back a bit. For the record, if Mr. Sampson was reading, he  _rarely ever_ put the book down until he was finished with it. To see this tells me that this question of his was very important. "Stacy, your younger sister, uh, Victoria, is it?" I nodded and let out a small sigh, making sure he didn't hear it.

Of course, that's what any teacher ever talks about with me. My popular, athletic,  _perfect_  younger sister, Victoria. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death, but so does everyone else.

"Are you sure you're both related?" he asked me. I nodded slowly, not sure what he meant by that. He sat in his seat, his hands clasped. A pout formed on his face and his eyes brown eyes seemed to darken a bit. After a minute, he shook his head and sighed. "I guess you two are polar opposites then because she is  _nothing_ like you! She is so chatty with all of the girls in my class and she doesn't seem to be as disciplined or as artistic as you are!" I blinked. He was right the Victoria and I were polar opposites, that's for sure. I wasn't sure about the other half of what he said, though. "Life would be so much easier if she were more like you."

I didn't say anything. No teacher had ever talked about her like that.  _Ever._ So, to hear this was truly a surprise,  _especially_  from Mr. Sampson, who had nothing but polite and thoughtful words to say towards other people. He heaved another sigh. "Alright, well, that is all. You may leave now." I nodded, bidding goodbye, and walked out of his classroom.

The halls were entirely empty. I walked down the hall, my footsteps echoing throughout. Mr. Sampson's words echoed in my head but as I neared the front gates of the school, I pushed them to the back of my mind. I stepped out from the hell known as high school and into the hot sunlight. Looking around, I easily spot Victoria and her friends walking off. I decided to walk off towards the other direction, just so that I didn't seem to be following her or something. It would take longer for me to get home, but that didn't matter. My parents never needed me home anyway, so there was really no rush.

I began walking towards the other direction and I let my thoughts wander a bit. They settled onto the thought of my friends. It seemed like I didn't have a lot when in reality, I knew nearly everybody in town. But, my main friends were the ones I have known ever since I was three. There are five of them: Tony, Rose, Daniel, Alice, and Audrey.  _I wonder what they're doing right now,_ I thought. I let out a sigh as I remembered that they were out traveling. I wasn't even sure when they'd be back. But by now I'd gotten used to it. They had all the money so they could go wherever and whenever they wanted. Well, alright, their  _families_ had all the money but somehow they still allow them to skip school. It's great for them but sorta disappointing for me.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard footsteps running towards me. I had a feeling I already knew who it was but I decided to make sure. I walked to the edge of the sidewalk, looked both ways, and then made my way across. I glanced over at Victoria and her friends to see them crossing the road as well. I heard their footsteps quicken. Victoria shushed her friends. I stopped walking and heard them stop. I started running and they started running. I stopped and turned to them. They all stopped immediately, almost tripping over each other.

"May I help you?" I asked sternly. Their eyes widened. Anyone who knew me knew to stay as far away from me as possible when I used that tone. Victoria stood up straight and nervously rubbed the back of her head.

"I'm, uh, sorry to bother you, sis," she said. I crossed my arms and I saw a look of panic in their eyes. "Um, I'm not sure how to put this..." There was an awkward silence and I began tapping my foot. "I have to go work on a project with them and I'll be gone for about an hour. Could you tell mom and dad for me?"

"You have your phone, don't you?" I asked. She took out her phone and tried to turn it on. It displayed a dead battery sign on it and she pouted. I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever." I turned around and walked away from them. I heard them talk about something, but their whispers were beyond what my ears could pick up.

"Love you!" I heard Victoria shout as she ran the other direction. I chuckled softly and smiled.  _I love you too,_ I thought.


	2. Chapter 2

As I neared home, I felt my stomach growl. Knowing my hunger was going to affect my emotions, I quickly walked to the corner store near my house. I entered the store and I noticed it was a lot emptier than usual. I heard the cashier clear their throat. I turned to see Max, the usual cashier, wave at me. His usually gelled down brown hair was now softly covering his eyes. As I stepped towards him, he brushed his hair out of his face and smiled. "Hey Stacy," he said. His voice was deeper than usual, which meant he was probably sick. "What are you buying this time for your sister?" I laughed. Max was used to me coming in and buying things for my sister, but he never questioned it.

“I’m here to get some snacks for  _ myself _ ,” I told him. He gasped dramatically. I chuckled. “She’s with her friends working on some project or something, I don’t know.” Now it was his turn to laugh.

“Well, that’s new,” he said. I nodded and walked into the junk food aisle. Simultaneously, I realized that today, nothing was really going in the ordinary routine. No one at school seemed to bother me or criticize me. The teachers didn’t bother to bombard me with a million questions on why I didn’t get a good grade on my test or why I hadn’t finished my homework or something along those lines. Lunch wasn’t completely horrible. In fact, it was pretty good. We hadn’t done any physical education either. Then there was the case with Mr. Sampson and then the scenario that had just recently happened with Victoria. Then again, it could’ve just been me overthinking everything.

I picked up some chips and then dashed to the drink aisle to grab some a bottle of soda and a bottle of water. Suddenly, I heard the door open and I saw a group of Juniors walk in. Max rolled his eyes at them and I saw one of them flip him off. I quickly walked out of the aisle and placed my things on the counter. I then grabbed five chocolate bars and out them with the chips and drinks, all while glancing back to see and a group of five guys. I rolled my eyes but immediately looked away and turned back to Max, who began bagging everything. I could hear the group of guys arguing about something. Couldn’t hear what though.

“You know them?” Max whispered. I shook my head, glancing back at the group. I recognized them but I didn’t know them personally. Why would I? Actually,  _ should _ I know them?

“They rude?” I asked him. He nodded.

“Rude, immature. The worst.” He sighed. “Sometimes I wish they would just go die. Harsh, I know, but they’re a bunch of idiots.” I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. I felt the same way too sometimes. “That’ll be nine dollars.” I grabbed my wallet from my backpack and paid him.

“You want me to stay here until they leave?” Max looked up from the register, confused. I guess the question had come as a surprise. He slowly nodded as he turned back to the register. I grabbed the bags and walked around to where he was.

“I mean, you don’t have to-”

“I know. I have a feeling they won’t do anything if I’m here, though.” Max stared down at the floor, contemplating my decision. After about a minute, he looked back up to me, smiling softly.

“Thanks.” I nodded and we sort of stood there for a bit, carefully watching the group of guys. Tension seemed to build as they got closer to the register. I saw that they were buying bottles of soda, some gum and mints, some chips, some donuts, scissors, duct tape, glue, and string. What they needed those items for was beyond me but I wasn’t one to ask or get involved with something that isn’t my own business.

One of the guys walked over to the register. He set his stuff down, his stuff being the scissors and string, and looked up at Max. He was slightly taller so it didn’t really faze Max all that much. The guy stared at him. For a moment, you’d actually think that he was a nice guy since he looked nice enough. That was until he actually spoke.

“How much, hm?” he asked him, his voice gruff. Max looked down at the two items and then looked back up.

“Two dollars.” The guy’s stare softened slightly before hardening again. He pulled out two wrinkled dollars and set them down as he took the scissors and string. Max placed the dollars in the register, quickly closing it. He then turned to me, his eyes seemingly pleading for the guys to leave.

The next guy walked over and set his stuff down, his stuff being the duct tape and glue. This one looked slightly more threatening than the other guy but it wasn’t enough to be scared of him. “How much?” he asked.

“A dollar.” The guy threw a dollar at him and took the stuff. The next guy came, set his stuff down, and stared at Max. I looked behind the guy to see the fourth guy behind him. The fifth guy was off in the corner, staring at us. I watched him closely, seeing as he would probably be the most threatening, even if he didn’t look it. I mean, how threatening could you be in gray sweats and plain t-shirts?

As the fourth guy went with the other three, the fifth guy walked over to Max, glaring. “Hello  _ pretty boy _ ,” he hissed. Max stared at him, not saying anything. “Where’s Amanda?”

“Out of town.” Max’s voice sounded like it was fading. His sickness was probably catching up. Or he was seriously scared.

“Out of town?” the guy asked. Max nodded. “Why?”

“Personal reasons.” The guy glared.

“Oh really?” Max nodded again. I looked down and saw I was tapping my foot. I tried calming myself. I didn’t like the guy’s tone but I was waiting to hear something that would give me a reason to barge in.

“Yeah, so I suggest you try next week,” I heard Max say. I looked back up to see the guy still glaring at him. He had a hand in his pocket and the other seemed to be reaching for Max.

“Fine,” he said. “I just have one last question.” He then pointed at me. “Who’s she?” The guys turned to me. Max glanced back at me and opened his mouth to say something. Before he could, one of the other guys spoke up.

“She your girlfriend?” he asked. The other three laughed and started joking around about how Max wished I was or something or other. The other guy silenced them and turned back to us.

“Is she?” he asked. Max shook his head.

“She’s a friend.”

“Ha! I can see why!” The others laughed once more and I rolled my eyes as I stepped up.

“Listen here  _ pretty boys, _ ” I said, mocking their tone. They immediately stopped laughing and glared at me. The fifth one seemed to have both hands in his pockets. “I don’t know what it is you have against Max but I do know that it would be great if you just left. So please, just leave before I start assuming shit.” They all stared at me, unsure if they should take me seriously.

“What’s the worst that you could assume?” the fifth asked me.

“That you’re doing this because you’re trying to hide your crush on him.” The four guys immediately started to deny such a thing, claiming that they weren’t gay. The fifth one stayed quiet and made eye contact with Max. I noticed Max look down slightly before turning to me. “Alright! If you don’t, then why don’t you just leave?!” The four guys walked out. I rolled my eyes and turned to the fifth who still stood. This time, he was staring at me.

“That’s the worst?” he asked me. I shook my head.

“No, but it certainly was for the other four.” I leaned forward slightly, placing my elbow on the counter and my chin on the back of my hand. “So what’s it gonna take for  _ you _ to leave?”

Without missing a beat, he replied,“His number.” My eyes widened and I looked back at Max to see his hair covering his eyes and his face a bright shade of red. I was laughing on the inside but I wasn’t going to show it.

“Max, could you-”

“Please don’t make me,” he pleaded. I rolled my eyes.

“Fine, I’ll give it to him.” I reached for my phone but Max immediately stopped me.

“Fine, I’ll do it…” He sighed heavily and took his phone out. I stepped back and immediately started chuckling. Who would’ve known that one simple guess was the answer? After a minute or two, the guy walked out and Max turned to me, his face still bright red. I smiled.

“Make sure you invite me to your wedding, okay?” I said as I walked away. I heard him mutter something under his breath and I stopped at the door. “What was that? Thank you? Oh, you’re very welcome Max!” I saw him roll his eyes as he pushed his hair out of his face. “Make sure you two wait until the wedding day, okay? Okay, bye!” I immediately heard Max yell something out but I was already out the door. I grinned.  _ Glad I could help out Max,  _ I thought.

The sound of my feet hitting the pavement could be heard as I walked home. A breeze blew by, blowing my hair into a million different directions. I pulled my hair back as best as I could and kept walking. A couple walking hand in hand walked past me, the guy giving his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek.  _ How coincidental. That’ll be Max and that other guy in a few months. If not, weeks.  _ I chuckled a bit before sighing. My parents and relatives always asked me if I had a boyfriend yet. It annoyed me. I didn’t really see why they cared so much about the subject since my parents met after high school. Besides, I could be into girls and they wouldn't even know it since they always asked if I had a  _ boyfriend. _ Although, I wasn't into girls.  _ Or, am I?  _ I stopped walking.  _ Am I into girls? _ I wasn't even sure. The thought had never popped into mind before. I began walking again, just so that nobody thought I was any weirder than I already was.  _ Am I? I mean, I'm into guys for sure, but girls?  _ I decided not to question it anymore until I got home.

My phone buzzed and I took it out. It was text from Max. I opened it and all it said was ‘HOW DARE YOU!!!!!’ I laughed and put the phone away. I walked faster. My house wasn’t that far away but I kinda wanted to get home as soon as I could. The text was making me laugh a lot though.

Once I got home, I unlocked the door and walked inside. “Mom!” I called out. “Dad! Anyone home?!”

“We’re in the kitchen dear!” I heard my mom yell. I immediately walked in, readying a chocolate bar. I looked up to see my dad cooking spaghetti while my mom was cleaning the counters. She turned to me, hands on her hips. “And Victoria?” she asked, her tone stern.  _ Uh oh. _

“With her friends,” I replied, carefully taking the chocolate bar out of the bag. “She said that she had to do a project with them.” My mom glared at me.

“You'd better not be lying to me,” she said.

“Why would I lie to you about something like this?” I asked. “She literally walked up to me and told me that she had to do a project with her friends before running off.” My mom said nothing for a while. I guess she was letting the information sink in. She then huffed and turned to my dad.

“Call her phone,” she ordered. I was about to tell her that Victoria's phone was dead when my dad had already started dialing. I sighed and held out the chocolate bar towards my mom.

“Want a chocolate bar?” I asked. She shook her head and I saw my dad raise his hand. I chuckled and threw the chocolate bar at him. He caught it swiftly and set his phone down as he turned around.

“She didn't answer,” he said. My mom sighed. “Should we call her friends?”

“Yes,” my mom said. “She  _ promised  _ Harold.”

“Yes sweetheart, I know she did,” my dad said as he picked his phone back up and took a bit out of the chocolate bar. My mom turned to me.

“Any homework?” she asked. I shook my head. “Your friends back yet?”

“No,” I said quietly. I guess it came out a little sad since I noticed my parents exchange worried glances.

“Oh, uh, I see,” my mom said nervously. “Stacy, how about we go get ice cream after your dad and I are done here?” My dad nodded vigorously.

“Yeah, how about it?” he asked as he flashed a warm smile I laughed and nodded. “Just the three of us, though, since I don't think Victoria will join us.”

“What?!” my mom asked as she turned around to face my dad. He jumped slightly, nearly dropping the pot he was now carrying.

“N-No one answered Susan!” my dad said. My mom groaned and shook her head. She then turned to me.

“You know Stacy, no matter how much we praise your sister, sometimes I can't help but wish she was more like you,” she said.  _ Woah, what?  _ I thought. My dad sighed and clapped his hands before rubbing them together.

“So, who wants ice cream?” he asked, smiling. My mom and I raised our hands. We all laughed. “Alright, let's go!”

“Wait!” I said as I suddenly realized I still held the bag in my hands. I lifted it up and my parents chuckled.

“Oh yeah,” they said in unison. They laughed again and I smiled. I then ran upstairs to my room and stashed the bag under my bed. Cliche, I know, but it was the only place I could put it for now. I ran back downstairs to see my parents hugging. I smiled.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said as politely as I could. They turned to me. “Well, ok, I think I can wait a couple more minu-”

“No, we can go now,” my mom said as the two let go. My dad then walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

“Let's go,” he said as he led me to the door. My mom chuckled and followed.


	3. Chapter 3

“Wait, so, she promised you she would help out?” I asked my parents as I took another scoop out of my ice cream. They nodded as they took licks out of their ice creams.

At the moment, my parents had explained to me why they were slightly frustrated with Victoria not coming home. She apparently had promised to help out with preparing for a party later on and my parents were generally excited that she would actually want to help out.

_ Now I see why my news came as such a shock,  _ I thought.

“I warned her, that I did,” mom said as she shook her head. “The second she comes home, she's grounded. No phone or computer or going out for a week.”

“A week?” dad asked, chocolate ice cream smeared on his cheeks. I laughed and handed him a napkin. He chuckled and cleaned his face before continuing. “Shouldn't it be longer? I mean, knowing you-”

“She doesn't have any games or school next week Harold,” she replied.

It then hit me. I was finally on vacation.

_ Thank goodness. _

“Right,” dad said, nodding. “And if she has plans?”

“She can cancel them.” I gasped and clamped a hand over my mouth. Mom just used Victoria's words against her. She was not going to like the response she would get when Victoria realized that. I could only imagine the argument that would come out of the two.

We continued to eat our sugary treats. Mom and dad had moved onto talking about something else while I looked around. It was a nice day, that it was. It had gone from being a hot summer’s day to a cool autumn day within fifteen minutes. It was great.

My phone suddenly buzzed. I took it out and saw that it was a text from Max. I opened the text. It read ‘Yo, your sister’s here!’ and it was followed by a picture of Victoria and her friends getting chips and drinks. I gasped.

_ The little liar. _

“How's the ice cream?” I heard my dad ask me. I looked up and gave him a thumbs up whilst smiling. He laughed. “Good!”

“So, how was school?” mom asked. I shrugged.

“It was alright,” I told her. “Although, I helped Max get a boyfriend.” My parents gasped.

“You did?!” they asked. I laughed.

“Well, sort of. Not really. They aren’t dating yet. It’s a funny story really. And it happened so quick that I’m still surprised it actually happened.”

“Really? Tell us about it. We have time.” And so I did. And boy did they find it funny. They laughed for about five minutes straight before calming down slightly. I wasn’t sure what it was that had made them laugh. Maybe it had been me joking around with him. I don’t know. The laughter was appreciated, though.

My phone buzzed once more and I saw that it was Max. I opened the text, which read ‘She’s going over to Anthony’s place.’ I responded back this time, thanking Max for the information. I then set my phone down and finished off my ice cream. My parents did the same.

We sat there for a while longer, talking about other things that had happened during the day (but I wouldn’t be mentioning the comment Mr. Sampson made earlier). Midway into the conversation, someone called my mom. So she answered it, leaving my dad to wait for her to finish the call to finish the story. He listened intently to her call.

I sat back in my seat as I thought about how Victoria had lied. Again. It wasn’t a huge deal, really. Thing is, it’s a first when she’s gone over to Anthony’s place with her friends. Anthony is her best friend who  _ apparently _ has the biggest crush on her. And I say  _ apparently  _ because nobody knows that she’s just a cover up, as sad as that sounds. Anthony’s bisexual and has the biggest crush on one of their guy friends. He’s apparently hidden this  _ really  _ well because literally my parents and I are the  _ only ones  _ that know.

Anyway, my point is that because Anthony has a crush on the guy, and because his parents were sorta strict, he wouldn’t really allow anyone over (except for me but that’s a story for another time). So, hearing that they’re going over there is just odd.

_ I wonder what they could be doing. _

“Stacy?” I heard my mom ask. I looked up at her. “I’m sorry but we’re going to have to cut this short. The party is going to start early.”

“It’s alright mom,” I told her. We got up and got into the car. My mom apologized some more and I assured her that it was okay. My dad then promised that we would spend time together tomorrow. I smiled and nodded, hoping that the three of us would be able to keep that promise.

We drove home listening to the radio. We sang to a few songs, being the cringey but loving family we are. When we got home, we walked into the house still humming the tunes. My parents immediately scrambled to get everything they had prepared ready (which was mostly food). I sat down on the couch and dialed Max’s number. It rang three times before he picked up.

“Yeah?”

“I’m bored so I called you.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Victoria isn’t home and my parents are about to leave so-”

“Oh good! That means I can come over!”

“...”

“...”

“Yeah sure. Come on over.”

“Yeah!” I hung up the phone and waited.

As my parents continued scrambling, I asked them if they needed help. They both replied with “no thanks!” so I laid down on the couch, telling them that they couldn’t say I didn’t offer help. They laughed and continued packing stuff.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Max walked in. “Sorry to barge in but I’m here so,” was all he said before standing in front of me. I smiled and sat up. He sat down beside me. My parents walked in and briefly greeted Max before saying goodbye to both of us and walking out. Max turned to me. “So, about earlier…”

“You two already engaged?” I grabbed his hand but he immediately pulled it away.

“No dummy!” he shouted as he rolled his eyes. “We did start talking a bit though and-”

“When’s the date?” He glared at me. I grinned.

“Tomorrow.” I gasped and immediately jumped up squealing.

“Seriously?!” He nodded. I started laughing.

“You need to stop doing that.” I laughed harder and Max sat there, watching me fall to the floor, dying. He rolled his eyes again. I calmed down and sat up.

“I’m sorry Max! I don’t mean to-” His stare sent me into a giggling fit. He shook his head, probably regretting befriending me. Everyone does at some point.

“Stacy,  _ please  _ listen.” I nodded and sat beside him, trying to remain calm. “I’m not sure if I’m even ready to do this. I mean…” He shook his head, “I just don’t think I can do this.”

I frowned.

“Yeah, I  _ did  _ sort of force you into this. Sorry.” He shrugged. “So, what now?”

“I have to make up my mind after the date…” His voice trailed off and he looked down at the ground.

“To continue?” He nodded. “Well, if he wows you and shit then yeah. If not then no.” Max looked up.

“How can you make up your mind that fast on this type of stuff?”

“Well I mean, if he doesn’t put any effort into the dates then he isn’t worth any of your goddamn time.” Max blinked, processing what I said. He then slowly nodded. “Anything else?”

“Your sister’s on the way over. With her friends.” I groaned. Again, I love my sister, but if she’s with her friends, then she’ll be  _ unbearable _ . “Hey, what’s the name of the blond?” I inwardly groaned.

“Anthony?”

“Yeah, him!” I did my best to not roll my eyes. Max never did bother learning his name.

“What about him?”

“He’s odd, ain’t he?” I looked up.

“Explain.”

“His mannerisms.” I nodded. Anthony  _ did  _ have a habit of stuttering every now and then and he was pretty socially awkward but it wasn’t his fault. A lot of us are like that. Max was like that.  _ I  _ was like that.

Max continued talking.

“To be honest I don’t know if I like him. I mean-” He immediately stopped talking when he noticed I pointed at the door. “Wha-?”

“You don’t like him, you don’t like me. Leave.” Max gasped and stood up. He then walked over to the door and threw it open.

“All I said was that Anthony was quirky! I didn’t say-”

“You don’t like him, you don’t like me!” I repeated, still pointing to the door. He muttered something. I stood up. “What did you say?!”

“Nothing!” He slammed the door and I watched as he ran into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes.

“Get back here and take back what you said about Anthony!”

“No! Never!” I walked in to see him behind the table and chairs. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a chair.

“Final chance.” He stared at me for a minute.

“I still stand by what I said.” I threw the chair at him. He screamed and ducked. It still hit him, though. He groaned as I grabbed another chair and proceeded to jab him with it. He rolled away from me. I continued jabbing and he continued rolling for a minute before he finally stood up and yelled, “Alright! I take it back! I fucking take it back!” I stopped and put the chairs back. He let out a sigh of relief. “Why’s he so important to you?!”

“The kid’s family Max. He’s like a little brother to me. So you insult him, you insult my family, therefore insulting  _ me  _ as a whole.” Max shook his head and tried to say something but I simply pointed to the door.

“I’m not leaving-”

“Then you respect Anthony in this house, ya hear?! I don’t want to hear you insult him!” He rolled his eyes.

“It wasn’t an insult!”

“Oh yeah? And what was it? A compliment?” He didn’t respond. Instead he walked over to the table and sat. “Yeah, that’s what I  _ thought,  _ Max.”

I heard someone clear their throats. I turned to see Victoria and her friends awkwardly standing near the doorway. Anthony stood smiling like a dork while his face had dawned a shade of red.

_ When did they get here? During the argument? _

“Oh, hey, you’re home! With them…” Her friends glared at me. “Hey Anthony, nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Stacy,” he said, flashing a warm smile.

“So, I’m assuming Max said something about Anthony and you are now trying to...avenge him? Or something like that?” Victoria asked as she glanced between me and Max.

“I didn’t insu-” I shot a glare at Max, who immediately stopped talking.

“Don’t worry about it,” I assured her. “What you should be worrying about is being grounded.” 

“WHAT?!” she asked. Her friends gasped. I nodded.

“Did you forget about the promise you made mom and dad?” She stared at me blankly for a moment, possibly trying to remember. Her eyes then widened. “Yeah, I figured.”

Victoria frowned and ran a hand over her face. “I can’t  _ believe  _ I forgot…”

“It happens,” Max said.

“Nobody asked Max.” He glared at me. “You started this war, Max. Find a way to end it.”

“What do you  _ want _ me to do? Surrender? Because I know you sure as hell  _ will not _ let me win it!” I grinned. “Damn you, Stacy.”

“Wait, so if I’m grounded, does that mean-”

“No phone, no going out, no hanging out with friends. Basically no social interaction whatsoever if it isn’t with us.”

“Oh, so basically, act like you for a week?” one of Victoria’s friends, Ryan, asked. Victoria glared at him.

“Hey! She has friends, y’know!” Max shouted as he stood and pointed to himself. “ _ I’m _ one of them!”

“Yeah and you’re the  _ only  _ one!” Ryan jeered.

“No he’s not!” Victoria hissed. “The rest of them are out of town! And soon you’ll be wishing to do the same if you don’t shut up!” He stared down at floor, muttering under his breath. Max glared at him.

I noticed Anthony had turned a slightly darker shade of red and was now frowning. I’m sure he was embarrassed, to say the least.

“If you have stuff to do, do it now. Mom isn’t letting you out of the house once she comes back so cherish your last day of freedom.” I motioned for her to move, which she did. Albeit slowly. But she moved.

I watched as all of them walked upstairs to her room. Anthony lingered behind and turned to me.

“I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled. “He’s not usually-” I held a hand up.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” I heard Max behind me mutter about it not being fine but I didn’t comment on it. “Just go before they wonder about you.” He nodded slightly before going up. I watched as he walked into my sister’s room and he shut the door.

I turned to Max, who was glaring at the stairs. I suppose we had made a bit of an alliance when Ryan mocked me, which was acceptable. It hadn’t been the first time, though (But I wasn't going to tell Max that).

“Retreat to my room?” I asked him. He nodded and we both walked to room where we spent the rest of the time being.


End file.
